


I Linger On, Dear

by Maggies_Scribblings



Series: Fluff, follies and fireworks [Tumblr requests and prompts] [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Chat Blanc - Freeform, Eventual Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Extended Scene, F/M, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Fanart, Nightmares, Post-Episode: s03 Chat Blanc, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Sad Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Time Travel, Trauma, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maggies_Scribblings/pseuds/Maggies_Scribblings
Summary: Ladybug successfully prevented Chat Blanc from ever happening… but can such a world-altering event really be erased without leaving some marks?In which Marinette is exhausted, Adrien is worried, Ladybug is traumatised and Chat Noir has no idea what’s going on.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Fluff, follies and fireworks [Tumblr requests and prompts] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687726
Comments: 38
Kudos: 278





	1. Prologue: While I'm Alone and Blue as Can Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miraculous_Elcie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraculous_Elcie/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Chat Blanc alone as the world flooded](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/614437) by @Buggachat. 



> Loosely inspired by [Buggachat’s](https://buggachat.tumblr.com) heartbreaking comic, linked above.
> 
> Fanfic formerly known as: “I Can’t Live Without You. Don’t Go. Please.”   
> Expanded from drabble to multichapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prologue is set during the events of Chat Blanc.  
> Extended scene: Ladybug tries to buy a little time to find the object that contains the akuma…

> _Ladybug has been thrown into the flooded Seine and found Hawkmoth's and her own petrified bodies._
> 
> “What did you do to them?!”
> 
> “I didn't mean to… Why won't you try and help me fix it?! The simple truth is you don’t love me anymore! So I _might_ as well destroy _you, me, our memories… everything_!
> 
> “NO!”

* * *

Ladybug runs to Chat Blanc… no, Chat Noir — her partner — her kitty, stopping just a few metres away from him.

“Wait… don’t do that!” she cries, desperately thinking of a way out as the cataclysm grows in his hand. “Okay! I’ll give you my Miraculous!”

Chat Blanc dispels the mega-cataclysm, but his expression is not a victorious one. Ladybug approaches slowly.

“What are you going to do, kitty?”

“I’ll use the wish to make everything _right_ , just like it was before.”

“You know the wish has a price…”

“Whatever the price, it can’t be worse than _this_!” Chat Blanc gestured to the devastation all around them.”

“There has to be another way.” Ladybug is inching her way towards him. “I’ll go back and find out what caused this, and fix it for you.”

“It’s too late, Milady.” He closes his eyes, another tear rolling down his cheek. He’s calmer for now, maybe there’s still a way to persuade him.

“How long have you been here, Chat Noir?”

“I don’t know any more. Months? Years? There’s no such thing as time here.”

“My poor kitty.”

“I’m all alone. Our friends… Nino… Chloé… Our classmates… They’re all gone, Marinette! I waited for you all this time, and now you won't help me?”

“Our classmates?…” Ladybug whispers as she remembers Bunnyx’s warning about knowing too much about the future. It’s dangerous to hear any more details. “Lucky charm!”

A red and black spotted eraser drops into her hands.

“Nice job, Ladybug… but we can’t erase the past. _I killed everyone_. I ended the world. You know your lucky charm can’t fix that!”

“We—we’ll find another way out of this, together.”

“NO!” His voice is tinted with anger once more. “The wish is the only way. Give me your earrings. NOW!”

“Okay, Chat Noir. Just… just hold me for a little bit.”

Ladybug takes another step and leans against his chest. She can feel his growl vibrating against her cheek and her hands… or is it a purr?

“I’m not Chat Noir anymore.” His voice is achingly sad as he flicks his bell. “I am Chat Blanc now.”

“You will always be Chat Noir to me.”

Ladybug stands on her tiptoes to give him a light peck on the cheek, taking advantage of his distraction to break his bell at the same time.

A black butterfly flies away as Chat Blanc screams his last cry.

“No more evildoing for you, little Akuma,” she cries, with little enthusiasm. “Time to de-evilize Chat Noir… Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

A very confused Chat Noir is now standing where Chat Blanc used to be.

“W—what happened? Marinette?” He looks around. “Oh no! What have I done?”

Bunnyx peeks from her burrow, waving the hand that had begun to vanish as the current timeline cemented.

“You did it, MiniBug!”

Ladybug is still close to Chat Noir.

“You still remember my real name.” She looks at the eraser, then at Bunnyx, then at her partner. “I can’t use the Miraculous cure now. I have to go back to my time.”

“Please, Marinette. _I can’t live without you. Don’t go. Please._ ”

“I'm gonna fix everything, Chat Noir, I promise!”

Hoping that this timeline will be erased by lucky charm in her own time, Ladybug hugs Chat Noir and kisses him on the lips.

“See you later, my kitty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Bridgetinerabbit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bridgetinerabbit/pseuds/Bridgetinerabbit) and [HariWrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HariWrites/pseuds/HariWrites) for the beta read on this chapter.


	2. In Your Dreams Whatever They Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug may have prevented Chat Noir from being akumatized, but such a harrowing event can not be easily forgotten. It leaves scars in Marinette's heart and mind.

_A few months after the events of Chat Blanc._

Marinette woke up drenched in sweat and tears, stifling a scream against her pillow.

“The same dream again?” Tikki asked, concern obvious in her little face.

It was all Marinette could do to nod and accept her kwami’s loving pats on her face. As usual, the tears wouldn’t stop until the morning.

* * *

Ever since she had defeated Chat Blanc, she had that same nightmare.

After the first few times she’d dreamed it, she recorded it in her journal, in case she would forget some important detail.

She needn’t have bothered: at least twice every week, the scene played out again and again.

> _Hawkmoth is falling through a hole in the ground into what looks like his lair. Chat Noir and I follow, landing in a sort of walkway. I demand his Miraculous, and he seems ready to comply. Chat Noir disarms Hawkmoth and invokes his Cataclysm with a grin and, I gather, a pun._
> 
> _I can see the scene clearly, but the voices are muffled, as if we were underwater. Hawkmoth tries to reason with Chat Noir, but I can’t tell what either of them is saying. Chat moves in slow motion towards Hawkmoth, who steps aside to reveal something — a glowing object, so bright I can’t figure it out, in the middle of an eerie garden. Whatever is there, it disturbs Chat Noir to the point where he’s screaming and lunging into Hawkmoth, Cataclysm first._
> 
> _I shout as Hawkmoth whacks Chat Noir away, my heart is screaming too, how can he do that?_
> 
> _We’re all under the Eiffel Tower now. I still can’t understand what either of them is saying. I am crying, paralysed as an akuma flies into Chat’s bell. He resists, he’s in pain and I want to help him, but I can’t move. I can only stare as the evil spreads across his body to turn him into Chat Blanc. He invokes a powerful, bright white cataclysm, points it at me, then at Hawkmoth. Then uses it on himself._
> 
> _I wake up._

* * *

Marinette finally went back to sleep. Tikki tucked her in lovingly, picked up some supplies from the kitchen, and phased into the Miracle Box. She needed all the help she could get.

As usual, she was greeted with joy by the other kwamis, who jumped around to hug her and marvel at the cookies she’d brought with her.

Tikki was glad to see her fellow deities, but her worry was visible, which prompted Sass, true to his Intuition concept, to pull her aside.

“You bear a heavy load in your heart, Tikki.”

By now Wayzz joined them.

“Your visit is not a mere social call, is it?”

“It is not. I am concerned about my chosen one.”

Tikki described Marinette’s recurring nightmare, barely able to keep her composure.

“This dream has been haunting her for months. I need to help her.”

Sass and Wayzz exchanged a knowing look, before yelling, at the same time:

“Fluff!”

The frantic bunny kwami flew to them like a flash, having just awoken from a nap.

“I’m here! What happened? Is it morning yet? But then where’s breakfast? If we break the fast, will the fast get slow? What—”

“Calm down, Fluff,” the turtle kwami advised, as the bunny spun around. “We just needed to check some things with you.”

“Things? Check? Is it checkmate? I _don’t_ play chess—”

Sass grabbed Fluff by the shoulders to stop her and keep her attention.

“We just need to ask you something. Tikki needs our help.”

Tikki came prepared with some baby carrots, the Rabbit kwami’s favourite snack. It was enough to bring her agitation to a halt so they could consult her on this issue.

Fluff gnawed nervously on the veggies while Tikki recounted Marinette’s dream, the fight with Chat Blanc and how future Bunnyx had helped.

“Do you have any idea why my holder is having these dreams?”

Despite her energetic nature, Fluff was a very wise and powerful kwami. Knowing her future holder had intervened, she considered carefully before answering.

“Hmm… As you all know, I can’t remember what I haven’t lived yet, much less what may never come to pass.”

Tikki couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Still, I think I know what may be happening. Your Ladybug may be accessing another timeline in her dreams.”

“We prevented that timeline by erasing Marinette’s signature on the gift, though… it should have been erased!”

“True, that future does not exist anymore, however, such a traumatic event is bound to leave some scars in the fabric of space and time.”

“How is Marinette seeing those scars, though?”

“The human psyche holds more mysteries than the universe itself,” Fluff shrugged. “Perhaps her _self_ from an alternate timeline is communicating telepathically with her, or maybe she is accessing some kind of universal awareness… even her visit to my burrow may have had some side effects…”

“What can I do to help her, then?”

“She needs closure on those events. At this moment she knows what she has witnessed, but until she knows what caused it she will live in fear of bringing it about again.”

Tikki reflected carefully. Ladybug and Bunnyx knew that signing the gift was the crossroads that caused the path to be diverted…

“Poor Marinette… she feels guilty!” Tikki cried. “Thank you for your help, everyone… I think I know just what to do… and I need Plagg’s help!”


	3. Stars Fading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the sun rises for another day in Paris, we find that Marinette isn’t the only one having disturbing nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the delay in posting, I was struggling with real life and [wannabe] writer's block.

It was just after dawn when he woke up and stepped into the shower. The warm water felt like a balm on Adrien’s clammy skin. _Thank god it’s Friday,_ he repeated to himself like a mantra, over and over again, as if it could make his exhaustion go away.

He finally managed to relax, no other worries in his mind except the nice pressure on his muscles, his neck, his head… Until the water unexpectedly turned ice-cold. He opened his eyes to find his kwami had turned off the hot water faucet.

“ _OUCH!!… PLAGG!_ ” Adrien shouted, leaping out of the shower. “What’s the big idea?”

“You’ve been in here for thirty minutes,” the god shrugged, making a face. “There’s no need for you to take this long, well, unless you’re manscaping, or doing other disgusting things. Anyway, I was worried you’d fallen asleep and drowned!”

“Drowned? In the shower?” he glared as he towelled himself off. “That’s impossible!”

“Not unheard of, kid. In my thousand years of life, I’ve seen just about every bizarre way to die.”

Adrien was still frowning but had to forgive Plagg. Sarcastic as the little bugger was, his antics came from a place of love and worry… deep… _deep_ down.

The fact was, for a few months now, he’d had these weird dreams. He couldn’t remember much about them, much as he tried… nothing visual, anyway — all he could remember were sounds. He eventually wrote down everything he could recall on his phone notes, to prove to himself he wasn’t going crazy.

> _I hear glass breaking, the thump of three bodies on a metallic surface. Ladybug is talking, but I can’t understand everything she says. It’s like we are in a heavy fog, I can’t see anything clearly, only shadows._
> 
> _“You're done, Hawkmoth! Give us back your Miraculous!”_
> 
> _There’s a swish and something plops in the water. My steel-toe boots make a clunking sound on the metal pavement. I see a bright light ahead of me, I feel like I am walking towards it._
> 
> _“You know what they say,” I joke, feeling the satisfaction of finally cornering our enemy. “The wave of a moth's wings can set off a CATACLYSM!”_
> 
> _“I would put that Cataclysm away if I were you, Adrien.”_
> 
> _A terrifying chill runs down my spine. Was that Hawkmoth calling my name? Although the fog is distorting all the sounds around me, he sounds eerily familiar. I start to panic._
> 
> _“… For her, Adrien. For you. For us.”_
> 
> _What is that all about — for **us**? Who is this? I look at the brighter spot and my heart sinks. _
> 
> _“Mother?”_
> 
> _My whole body goes into shock. Why am I calling out for my mother? My heart is pounding so hard it hurts._
> 
> _“Father?” I am screaming for my father now. Is Hawkmoth holding my parents hostage?_
> 
> _“Why? Why? Why?… Why..?”_
> 
> _I feel something knocking me out._
> 
> _I wake up._

A couple of times a week, Adrien relived this nightmare and woke up soaked with perspiration and tears, much to Plagg’s distress.

Today was just one more of those days, rounding off a busy week full of photoshoots and extreme amounts of homework. Even Hawkmoth seemed to be contributing to his sleeplessness, having sent not one but two akumas at ungodly hours.

He just hoped he’d be able to stay awake in class.

* * *

It was the morning after the visit to the Miracle Box. Thanks to Tikki’s firm encouragement, Marinette was on time for class, for once.

As soon as she could do it discreetly, the tiny bug slipped into Adrien’s bag, hoping to recruit Plagg’s help… only to find him fast asleep.

Now, that would not be unusual in and of itself — being a cat, the god of destruction napped at least eighteen hours per day, on a good day. This time, though, he just would _not_ wake up, even when she waved a little bit of cheese right under his whiskers — and _that_ was odd. Realising it was useless to try and wake him, she settled back into Marinette’s purse for the rest of the morning.

After lunch, before Plagg could settle in for his afternoon nap, Tikki dragged him down to the space underneath the classroom floorboards so they could talk.

Atypically, the tiny black god listened attentively as his counterpart recounted Marinette’s nightmare and the visit to the miracle box.

As it turned out, Plagg had some concerns of his own.

“I’m glad you came to me, Sugarcube. My own kitten’s been having some strange dreams.”

“Oh no! Him, too? What are his dreams like?”

“He won’t tell me… but I can hear him when he talks, or rather _yells_ , in his sleep…” Plagg was as serious as Tikki had ever seen him. “Tiks, it’s horrible! Most of the time I can’t tell what he’s saying… but he always cries for his mother and father, and wakes up in tears every time.”

Tikki considered for a moment, petting Plagg under his chin.

“We need to get them to talk about all this, one way or the other. This can’t be healthy for either of them!”

* * *

Marinette yawned. Repeatedly. Her jaw was aching from so much yawning. Another restless night, another repeat of that horrible nightmare which made her remember things she’d rather forget.

People were starting to notice — Madame Bustier asked her if she needed a painkiller for ‘the crimson tide’, which added a layer of mortifying embarrassment to her laundry list of worries — Alya wanted to walk her home at lunchtime. Even Adrien was looking back at her occasionally, when the noise was louder. She couldn’t help but notice he was _also_ wearing a layer of concealer under his eyes.

She ended up accepting the teacher’s suggestion to go home after lunch, since she wasn’t doing anything productive in class anyway. Her parents were surprised when she walked into the bakery so soon, explaining away her early arrival with a headache and barely able to keep her eyes open. Sabine checked her forehead, handed her a mug of herbal tea and ordered her straight to bed.

Maybe it was the accumulation of several nights of bad sleep, maybe it was Tikki’s gentle pats on her head or her mother’s prescription for chamomile tea — in any case Marinette slept like a baby for ten hours straight. She woke up close to midnight, disoriented, famished and full of energy.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon, so she got some more tea and leftover pastries from the kitchen. In order to eat without disturbing her sleeping parents, she decided to have her midnight snack up on her balcony.

Looking through the notifications on her phone, she was touched to see everyone worrying about her on the class group chat, and took a moment to let them know she was okay. She hung out on her lounge chair for a while longer, idly browsing her social media, sharing her sweet treats with her kwami.

Hovering over the phone to get her attention, her tiny face frowning in concern, Tikki started her intervention.

“Marinette, I’m very worried,” she gently scolded, “these nightmares and sleepless nights are draining you.”

“I know you are, Tikki… I can’t control my dreams, though. What can I do about them?”

“I think you need to talk about this with someone… other than me.”

“Well, I can’t exactly walk into a psychologist’s office and say, _‘please help me, I’ve been having nightmares about the end of the world as we know it, and by the way I’m Ladybug and my trusted partner Chat Noir was the one who destroyed it **and** the moon, but I travelled to the future through a magical rabbit burrow and prevented it from happening anyway—’_”

“Shh… sweetie… hear me out.” Tikki patted her holder’s cheeks in a calming pattern. “I meant Chat Noir. He’s the only one you can trust with these problems.”

“I— I thought we’d agreed not to tell him about Chat Blanc…”

“It would have been better, but it seems unavoidable now.”

Marinette pondered for a few minutes, finishing her tea. It was Chat’s patrol night, she could try to call him and meet up.

“Alright, Tikki. Let’s do it. Spots on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone on the LTWWS Discord server for the bump in motivation! Thanks also to [WellSaltedLady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellsaltedlady/pseuds/wellsaltedlady) for the beta read and suggestions!


	4. Just Hold Me Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of the night, Ladybug reaches out for her partner with a lot to confess… what she did _not_ expect was Chat Noir's own revelation. It seems like the future has come back to haunt them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm taking so long to update this… and thank you for your patience!

Exhausted as he was, Adrien was looking forward to starting his usual nightwatch.

The simple act of transforming into Chat Noir was exhilarating. Being able to leap around without worrying about his public image, to vault above the empty streets, whooping as he gained speed… It was the closest to pure freedom he could experience.

The times his Ladybug would join him in these sprints were his favourite ones. No time constraints (at least as far as a teen could manage on a school night), no akumas, no press, just the two of them guarding their beloved city… and then, the moments as they sat on top of a landmark or random roof to wind down after the patrol, when they could just talk and hang out… those were pure bliss.

He certainly wasn't expecting Ladybug to join him tonight, so it was with a smile and a sigh that he greeted her as he finished his route.

“Well, well, Milady… What a pleasant sur—” Chat Noir stopped himself when he saw how upset she looked. “Is something wrong, Bug?”

“Please sit down, Chat Noir. We need to talk.”

“Of course, Ladybug…” he obeyed. He would have made some kind of quip or flirtatious joke, if it wasn’t for her serious face and voice close to cracking.

“So… I need to come clean with you. There was one akuma recently I didn’t tell you about.”

“An akuma? How—”

“You don’t know about it because it never happened. Not in our timeline, anyway.”

“Milady, I think the Guardian role is getting to you. You’re speaking in riddles just like Master Fu did.”

Ladybug nodded and took a deep breath, gathering the courage to continue.

“Okay. I can do this. I owe it to you to be honest.”

Omitting the parts that were too personal and identifiable, Ladybug recounted meeting Bunnyx, travelling to the future to fight Chat Blanc, how she saw Paris wrecked and herself and Hawkmoth petrified by his cataclysm, and how she was able to finally purify him.

Chat Noir listened attentively, and by the end of the account he was almost as pale as his akumatized self.

“I— I can’t believe it. How— how could I let myself be akumatized?”

“I don’t know… you— no, not you— Chat Blanc knew my real name… and he said that it was ‘our love that did this to the world’…”

For once, Chat Noir was speechless, and could only nod for her to go on.

“I know what led him to find out about me — something stupid I did, that I can’t share with you — but I was able to undo my mistake and prevent everything from happening.”

Ladybug was crying now, which was a rare sight. Blinking away his own tears, Chat Noir pulled her into a comforting hug, which he needed as much as she did.

“It’s alright, Milady… you saved my stupid butt like you always do… thank you!”

They sat there holding each other for a few minutes, until Ladybug let out another sigh and hesitantly pulled away from the tight, soothing embrace.

“That— that’s not all I needed to tell you…”

“There’s _more_?”

Ladybug nodded and began to tell him about her recurring nightmares. As she proceeded, he was getting more and more agitated, as he noticed how her account matched his own recollections.

“W-wait… so you’re telling me that you have these nightmares… and you can’t _hear_ what’s going on, only _see_ it?”

“Yes… and even then, a lot of it is… how can I describe it…”

“Foggy?”

“Exactly!”

“What the _hell_ is going on here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve been having the same dream as you.”

Chat Noir related his own recurring nightmare as she worriedly paced back and forth on the roof.

Once they both recovered from the initial shock, they discussed the coincidence for a while. The logical conclusion was that the dreams overlapped, her vision to his audio, so to speak. Still, the full picture was still unclear. Ladybug continued to walk to and fro as she tried to make sense of it all.

“We need to write this down, to get it absolutely straight…”

“I’ve got mine here!” Chat Noir opened his baton and navigated to his notes. “Miraculous sync works better than any cloud service out there… here!”

“Great! Give me five minutes, I’ll get mine.”

Ladybug ran back to her place to get her journal and a notebook, taking a little less than five minutes as promised.

“Wow!” Chat Noir leapt in surprise as she came back. “You weren’t joking!”

“Yeah, I live— I— I mean I _am_ fast!” She amended as she handed him the journal opened on the relevant page, obviously preventing him from seeing anything else.

“Sure…” Chat Noir smirked as he studied the page. “I think we can make the events match, but tonight might be a bit late.”

“We could meet tomorrow if you’re free…”

“Hmm… tomorrow’s Saturday, right? Yeah, I’m free. Where do you want to meet?”

“How about La Défense? There should be an empty rooftop on one of the office buildings.”

“It’s a date, then!” He looked at the diary again. Something about the pink pages and her handwriting felt oddly familiar. “Can I take this home to study in the meantime?”

“NO!” Ladybug snatched the journal away from him, “it has personal stuff…”

“Okay, okay…” Chat chuckled, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. “Can I take a photo of the page then? I’ll send my notes to your yoyo.”

After swapping notes, the heroes parted with another hug and the hope they would unravel the mystery together.

* * *

That was the first night either of them slept soundly in a _very_ long time.

* * *

The next morning, as Marinette was getting ready for her day, she examined her face in the mirror. Amazingly, the concealer would not be necessary today!

“I think you made the right decision, Marinette,” Tikki chirped as she helped tie her pigtails.

“I hope so… In any case, I guess if it was the wrong one, Bunnyx would have shown up already, right?”

“Probably… but we can’t expect Bunnyx to pop up and solve our _current_ problems.”

“There’s still one more detail that’s been bothering me… I haven’t even told _you_ about it.”

“What’s that, sweetie?” she asked, now hovering in front of her face.

“Back _there_ … you know… in the future… Chat Blanc said something that’s been bugging me. He said all _our_ friends and classmates were dead.”

“He did?”

“Yes, and I’ve been trying to forget he said it, or dismiss it, but it’s too big to ignore.”

“Well… we don’t know how far in the future that whole thing happened, Marinette…” Tikki dismissed. “It could be years in the future, another class, other friends… and you said it yourself, he was… unbalanced.”

Marinette shook her head.

“He specifically mentioned Nino and Chloé… and he didn’t look older than he is now…”

“It’s up to you, as Guardian, to decide whether you want to know more… and I don’t need to tell you about all the other dangers it may entail.”

“Thank you, Tikki… I have a lot of thinking to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a million to [Zenmisery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenmisery/pseuds/zenmisery) for the Beta read!


	5. Still craving your kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes meet up in the morning, and an important conversation needs to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again it took me forever to update, for which I apologise... anyway, this isn't beta'ed because I didn't want to keep you waiting...

Adrien had noticed that the pink, rose-scented paper and pretty script felt oddly familiar, but when he got home exhaustion took over. After a busy day and emotionally draining patrol, he’d passed out in his bed. His rest was peaceful and dreamless and he woke up refreshed and ready for more revelations. Or so he thought.

Now, sitting in front of his computer monitors, his head was spinning and his heart was pounding.

There was no doubt about it. All three monitors were showing different pictures, different paper, different words. But the handwriting was _exactly_ the same on all three. Marinette’s journal, the note from when she brought him his schoolwork, and the mysterious Valentine card, all were written by the same person.

“Holy crap!”

“What is it, kid? Another scathing review on the Ladyblog?”

“Ha. Ha,” Adrien replied, dryly. “Come look at this.”

Plagg hovered over his left shoulder as he finished the morning’s third wedge of cheese.

“I found her. I finally found her.”

Uncharacteristically, Plagg was speechless as he watched Adrien go through an impossible range of emotions.

“Can’t you see it? There’s no doubt about it. Marinette is Ladybug.”

“Chill out,” the kwami tried to deflect. “It could still be someone else. All teenage girls use that loopy handwriting style.”

“No way. There’s _no way_ it could be anyone else.”

“No— Adrien, it doesn't make any sense,” in a panic, Plagg flew up to face him. “Marinette is Marinette and Ladybug is—”

“Marinette!” Adrien breathed dreamily, as he pulled up Marinette’s Instagram page and his secret Ladybug photo folder. _Of course_ she was. Who _else_ could Ladybug be? He switched off his computer and sprang up from his chair. “Come on, Plagg, we have to go!”

“Wait, wait, let’s not do anything rash,” the tiny deity whined, blocking his path. “Remember your identities are supposed to be secret!”

“Stop being grumpy and come on,” Adrien opened his overshirt for Plagg to hide. “Please.”

Suddenly, hitting him like lightning, an overwhelming feeling of _déjà vu_ made him so dizzy he had to stop and sit down on the sofa, holding his head between his hands.

“I’ve felt this before, haven’t I?” he said, mostly to himself. “No— I’ve _lived this before_. How’s that possible? I wouldn’t just forget something like this, would I? But this feels so familiar… What’s going on, Plagg?”

“I was trying to warn you, kid! It’s too dangerous to mess around with these things.” Plagg flew over to perch on Adrien’s knees. “Time travel, magic, secret identities… Any event, no matter how small, can disturb the delicate balance of the universe. The butterfly effect isn’t just a theory, you know?”

“And I bet Nooroo had something to do with the naming of that theory, no?”

Plagg just nodded. Adrien shook his head as if to throw off his confusion.

“Did you know? About that timeline where I was akumatised?”

“Tikki might have mentioned it…”

“And you didn’t think it was important for _me_ to know that?”

“It. Never. Happened. The more you know about the future, even one that was prevented, the worst the damage to the space-time continuum. Geez, haven’t you seen _Back To The Future_?”

Adrien could only nod. It was too much information for him to process.

“Look, kid, for now, let’s just go and meet up with Ladybug as planned.” The cat god flew up to pat his cheek in a reassuring gesture. “Deciphering that nightmare could be the key to everything. Don’t mention anything about identities just yet. As Guardian, that’s her decision to make.”

“Okay, Plagg. Thank you for being here for me.” Adrien scratched his chin and stood up. “Claws out!”

* * *

When Ladybug arrived at La Défense, Chat Noir was already waiting for her, perched atop one of the vertices of Tour First.

“Ah, good morning, LB!”

She was surprised to notice a shakiness to his voice.

“Good morning, Chat Noir!” She cleared her throat, since her voice was wobbly too. “Ready to brainstorm?”

“Ready when you are.”

As she expected, the tallest terrace in the district was empty, so they were safe from prying eyes. Good.

“So… before we begin. I’ve come to a decision.”

Chat Noir nodded for her to continue.

“Well— now that I’m Guardian— and after all that Chat Blanc mess… I decided we’ll be safer if we know our identities.”

No response. Not even a nod or a blink.

“Are you with me?” Another nod. “Good. You see, there have been times when we needed to contact each other— for work I mean. And with Hawkmoth getting impatient and angrier, it will probably get worse. He’s been wearing us out on purpose, and there’s been more than one occasion where that came back to bite us.”

She paced the terrace back and forth, gesticulating as she made her point. Trying to convince herself as much as him.

“Also, if anything happens to _me_ , you need to know where the miracle box is, to get reinforcements.”

“Ladybug, I— are you absolutely sure about this?”

“Well— no— I’m not. But I feel like it’s time. Besides,” there was a wobble in her voice again. “Chat Blanc gave me a _huge_ clue that I can’t explain away, but can’t pursue either without being a total hypocrite.”

For a few minutes, the only sound around them was the hissing of the wind against the terrace railings.

“H—how do you want to do it?” Chat Noir finally muttered.

“Remember when M. Damocles was Dark Owl?”

“Yes.”

“Like that. Only this time, I’ll count to three and we can open our eyes.”

“Okay.”

They sat down facing each other, legs crossed and knees touching, Ladybug holding his hands in hers. There was an eerie feeling of solemnity to the moment, almost like a ceremony was about to take place.

“Now. Close your eyes.”

“They’re closed.”

“Spots off.”

“Claws in.”

“Open your eyes on three… two… one…”

* * *

Several years in the future, Bunnyx let out a crooked smile as she monitored the scene.

“Well, Minibug, Kitten Noir… It looks like this is it. I’d better leave you two alone.”

She let out a worried sigh as she moved to observe another window.

“Hopefully all will be okay.”

* * *

Adrien gasped as he recognised the face behind the mask. He was right.

“Marinette!”

She nodded, her grasp on his hands tightening and making his heart leap.

“Did you know it was me?” he asked.

“I— I had my suspicions after what Chat Blanc told me, but I didn’t want to confirm it without telling you.”

“I see. Are— are you okay it _is_ me?”

He could barely hide the concern in his expression. Chat Noir had been so pushy, she refused him so many times… and she loved another boy. He just hoped to be able to keep everything professional.

“Of course I am, Adrien!” She held on to his hands, the squeak in her voice belying how nervous she really was. “It’s great that we already know each other in real life. We can cover for each other in class, my parents know you, so it won’t be weird if you call or whatever, because you’re my friend!”

The few minutes of silence that followed were awkward. Adrien took a deep, shaky breath.

“You’re right,” he smiled. “I’m also happy it’s you. I mean, I did suspect it a few times, but it’s good to _know_ know, you know?”

“I know,” she smiled as she stood up and offered him her hand again. “Now, let’s get to work!”

“At your service, Milady!”


	6. Say Nighty-Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the aftermath of Ladybug and Chat Noir's identity reveal. Will their relationship change? _Should_ it change? Or is this the push they need to find and defeat Hawkmoth once and for all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the wait, I was a little stuck on this chapter!  
> Thanks to [wellsaltedlady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellsaltedlady) for helping me unravel it.

Marinette collapsed on her bed as soon as she arrived home. It had been an emotionally draining day, but she felt happy to know her partner’s identity and validated in her decision to share hers. Then why was she crying uncontrollably into her pillow?

“I’m proud of you, sweetie,” Tikki comforted, patting her on the shoulder. “You kept your cool, even after finding out Adrien is Chat Noir.”

“I _had_ considered it, hoped for it even, but…” she let out another sob. “Now that I _know_ , I just can’t get over how I’ve been pushing him away all this time.”

Tikki sat next to her nibbling on a cookie.

“You _didn’t_ know, Marinette. Besides, you two being involved while Hawkmoth is still around would be too dangerous.”

“Then there’s what Chat Blanc told me… ‘it was our love that did this to the world’…”

“But you _saved_ the world by preventing it… You’ve learned from that experience. Now it’s just a matter of time until we catch Hawkmoth, then you two can be together.”

“I can’t think about him like that,” she shook her head emphatically. “I can’t _hope…_ otherwise, I’ll be a mess again, and I have to keep it professional.”

Marinette cried herself to sleep, Tikki nestled in her hair, giving her a little comforting kiss whenever the sighs were deeper.

* * *

“You’re unusually quiet today,” Plagg grumbled, shortly after they got home. “I expected you’d be jumping and shouting about _finding your lady_.”

“Hm…” Adrien replied absent-mindedly. “I-I think you might have been right before. I have a really bad feeling about all this.”

“So you’re giving up on Spots?”

“Never!” He shook his head emphatically. “We were together in that timeline, we can be together again. But not before we catch Hawkmoth.”

* * *

“Aah! Why can’t I remember?” Marinette flopped back on her _chaise-longue_ , holding her head in her hands. “My brain hurts!”

The last few days had gone by in a flurry, with end of term tests and projects. Adrien even got permission to stay on after school after pairing up with Marinette on a class project. They had been hard at work, trying to finish the incomplete puzzle that was their connected nightmares.

“We will, I’m sure.”

“It’s just so frustrating!” She whined as she sat back up. “We’ve never been this close to figuring out Hawkmoth’s identity!”

“Would you say we’re within a _whisker_ of finding out?”

Marinette tried (and failed) to hide a snort and punched his shoulder playfully.

“I’m serious, Adrien. Now that we know each other’s identity, it’s more dangerous than ever out there! If you get caught by another one of those mind-controlling akuma, I—”

“—Do you regret telling me?” Adrien asked, averting his eyes.

“No way! Adrien, it’s nothing like that! I’m so glad that we know now! It’s just… knowing you in real life… I worry _twice_ as much, now I know my partner is also one of my best friends.”

“Thanks, Marinette,” he replied with a sad smile, “you mean a lot to me, too.”

Marinette picked up the sheet of paper where they had outlined the dream.

“There’s something else that’s been bugging me,” she said, examining their notes. “I need to ask you something personal, though. Is that okay?”

“Go ahead,” Adrien felt his face flush slightly, but shrugged it off. “No more secrets, right?”

“Well… it’s about this part,” she pointed at the paper. “You call your father _and_ your mother.”

He felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled his own desperate screams.

“Adrien… What happened to your mother, exactly?”

“All I know is that she vanished over a year ago,” he began. “One day she was there, tucking me in at night, the next day Father said she was gone.”

Marinette sat on her office chair, facing him.

“This doesn’t make any sense… How was she in the dream?”

“I remember my first thought is that Hawkmoth kidnapped my parents, but that’s impossible.”

“I’m going to try something I saw on a TV show.” She took his hands in hers. “I need you to relax and close your eyes.” Adrien closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Good. Now, picture yourself in the dream. Remember you’re not there anymore, you’re in a safe place. Breathe.”

Adrien did as he was told, safe in the knowledge that nothing bad was going to happen to him.

“Now, you have your cataclysm ready for Hawkmoth… Then you notice the bright light, I saw it in my dream, too. He is showing us something.”

“Hawkmoth is saying, _For her, Adrien. For you. For us._ But I don’t know what he means.”

“Try to tell me what you’re _feeling_.”

“I’m feeling confused… Heartbroken… Betrayed?” He opened his eyes. “There’s this feeling that someone I trusted was hiding something…”

“I’m gonna need some help. Wait here a minute.”

It was only after Adrien opened his eyes that he noticed he’d been crying. He hastily wiped the tears with the hem of his shirt, while Marinette got something from under her bed and came back down the stairs.

“Hello, Monsssieur Adrien!”

The familiar voice made him look up.

“Hello, Sass! Just Adrien will do, please.”

“I thought Sass could help us out,” Marinette said, as she sat back down on her chair. “He has hypnotic powers, you know?”

“I… did not! Then again, that’s why you are the Guardian and I’m not!”

“Although the Great Guardian Fu chose Ladybug as new Guardian, you were jussst as good a candidate, Adrien,” Sass said. “Sssimply, Marinette hasss more free time.”

“So, how do we do this?” Adrien joked, reclining on the _chaise-longue_. “Do you need a pocket watch?”

“No, Adrien,” the kwami chuckled. “All I need is for you to relaxsss… breathe in… and out… focusss on my voice… in… out… Now I shall count backwards from ten, after which you will travel back to the location you have seen in your dreams. Are you ready?”

Adrien replied, voice groggy already.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

Adrien was under before Sass got to zero.

“Now, Chat Noir, let’s go back to that day.” Marinette took over from Sass. “We fell through a hole on the ground. Remember that?”

“Yes, Ladybug.”

“Good. Can you see who’s there with us?”

“Yes. It’s Hawkmoth! This is a weird place. Is it a catacomb? A cathedral? Wait! I recognise that window!”

“Go on, Chat Noir. You activated your Cataclysm… What’s he showing us?”

“He opened a contraption of some kind… Is it a capsule? There’s someone in there… Mother? What is happening?”

“Deep breaths, Adrien…” Marinette sat next to him and started to rub his hands in comforting motions.

“Father? No! It can’t be you! No!” Adrien was screaming now, tears running down his cheeks.

Desperately, Marinette begged the snake kwami: “Sass, bring him back, please!”

“Chat Noir, when I clap, you will wake up and remember everything. Three… two… one… [clap]”

Adrien sat up with a deep, ragged breath. He sought Marinette and held on to her for dear life.

“My mother is still alive!” he cried into her shoulder. “You were right, Milady, it’s my father! It was him all along!”


	7. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still shaken, Adrien clings to Marinette for comfort. As she protects and comforts him, the feelings she was trying to quell are rekindled…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry for taking so much time to update... I haven't found much time and inspiration to write, what with vacation, my cat dying (😿) and life just... happening in this weird COVID-19 world.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this and I'll do my best to update sooner.  
> Your kudos and comments motivate me to write, so please keep them coming! ❤️

Adrien clung to Marinette while his heart rate slowed down to a normal rhythm. Every piece of the puzzle was now in place, and he had no doubt he hadn’t only imagined it, but had actually _lived_ that scene in another timeline.

Marinette was still comforting him when her mother’s voice startled them both as she called from downstairs.

“Adrien, sweetheart, your car’s here! The nice driver is waiting!”

Hesitant, he released his hold to look at her. He was terrified.

“I-I can’t go back there,” he begged, shaking his head. “I can’t face him!”

“It’s alright, Kitty,” she said, squeezing his shoulders in reassurance. “I’ll think of something.”

* * *

As Marinette took his hand to lead him downstairs, her expression told him that a plan was already hatching in her mind.

Adrien took a deep breath to compose himself, while Marinette put on an impressive performance. Shock gave way to an amused smile. Who knew she was such a good actress?

“It’s a disaster, Mom, I accidentally deleted our presentation!” She yanked at her pigtails. Was she actually _crying_? “Now we’re _way_ behind on our project, and we’ll get a bad grade, and Adrien will get in trouble…”

“There, there, sweetheart.” Sabine comforted her daughter with a gentle pat on her shoulder. “Why doesn’t Adrien stay for dinner so you can work on it a little more?”

“I-I don’t know if my father will let me—”

“Nonsense, dear. Call him on your phone, I’ll talk to him and explain the situation.”

“Thank you, Madame Cheng,” Adrien took his phone and dialled Nathalie’s number. “I’ll call Nathalie, Father never picks up anyway.”

Sabine looked at her daughter with an eyebrow lifted when she heard this, but didn’t comment.

“Nathalie? Yes— I’ll be a bit late— We had a problem with our proj— No, bu— It’s just that— _Here-talk-to-my-friend’s-mom_ —” Adrien practically threw the phone at Sabine.

“Ah, Nathalie, right? Yes, but— Wait— PLEASE let me finish?” Clearly irritated, Sabine’s voice had turned from sweet to icy. “Thank you. _Now_ then, the children had a little hiccup and need to work on their project… Yes— No, Adrien WILL eat with us and THEN call for the chauffeur once he’s done… Actually, no—” she winked at him conspiratorially. “Since we live right next to the school, he can stay the night in our guest room, that way they can make the most of the evening’s work.”

Marinette gave him a look and a shrug that seemed to say, “I told you so.”

“Why, of COURSE we will. Teenagers, right? You can never be too careful— Yes… Okay. See you tomorrow, then.”

Sabine triumphantly returned his phone.

“I’ll get started on dinner. You two go on and work, it won’t be ready for another hour.”

Once they were upstairs, Adrien let out a deep breath. Marinette sat at her desk and opened the notes app on her computer.

“Now I know where Ladybug learned to be so bossy!” Adrien pulled the other chair and sat next to her.

“Hey!” she said in a mock affected tone, then laughed it off. “I’m sure my mom said you’d stay the night out of spite for being talked over. She hates that!”

“She was SO cool!… Makes me feel bad to be lying…”

“I hate that it’s so natural for me to lie now,” she agreed. “It comes with the job, I guess…”

“Tell me about it.”

“Anyway, this bought us some time. We have a lot to discuss.”

“I know,” he nodded. “I can’t hide here in your room forever, can I?”

He only thought about all the implications of what he said when Marinette blushed profusely.

“No—ha-ha… ha. That would be _kitnapping_ , right? Ha-ha.” She took a deep breath.

“Oh look at little-miss-pun-hater!”

“I don’t hate puns, I just question your comedic timing.”

“How dare you, Milady, my puns are _hiss_ terical and my timing is _purr_ —”

“Stop now, or I’ll get my spray bottle.” Marinette interrupted him with a mock threat.

Unable to keep a straight face though, she rewarded him with a giggle. He loved to hear her laugh.

“I think this is the first time you called me Milady since we found out.”

“Is it?” Adrien averted his eyes. “I guess it’s weird to call you anything other than Marinette now.”

“Weird?”

“Yes. Well, not in a bad way. It’s just that knowing you, knowing Luka… I don’t want to overstep.”

“L-luka? Why—what’s Luka got _anything_ to do with this?”

“You… told me you loved someone else? Aren’t you seeing him?”

“No—no, I’m not,” her voice cracked and she looked away. “Can we not talk about that just now?”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine, Kitty. You can call me Milady or Bugaboo. Buguinette might be a little too close for comfort though.”

“HA! I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe subconsciously I knew it was you all this time.”

“Very cute, erm… Adrichat?” They giggled again. “Now, let’s get back to work!”

Marinette suggested they do actual homework until dinnertime. The scent of warm stew and spices made his mouth water and his stomach growl.

“Dinner is served, kids!” Tom boomed from the open attic door.

Adrien didn’t expect that a warm, hearty dinner with a loving family in a cosy apartment could be so invigorating. The Beef Bourguignon stew with Chinese spices and vegetable fried rice was delicious, and the company excellent.

After dinner and a little more work, Sabine came up to say it was time to sleep. Adrien nodded and started following her downstairs, but Marinette caught his wrist and whispered in his ear. 

“Call me if you have any nightmares. Or if you need _anything_ at all.”

Sabine then showed him to the guest room and gave him one of Tom’s old shirts, which looked like a huge nightgown on him — but the old, worn-out cotton and fresh scent of softener felt better than his cold, crisp satin pyjamas.

“Good night, sweetie,” Sabine said as she closed the door. “Sweet dreams.”

Adrien fell asleep hoping for them.

* * *

As she tried to sleep, Marinette’s heart was pumping in her chest from the events of the day. On one hand, the revelations from Adrien’s ‘session’ with Sass; on the other hand, his touch, his hugs, his vulnerability only deepened her feelings for him. She didn’t think she could love him more and was absolutely wrong.

She had to admit it — Chat Noir's touch made her stomach flutter a little before the reveal, but now they maintained a polite distance in civilian life. However, since they started working on their project, Marinette and Adrien began sitting close together, hugging when saying goodbye, giving each other gentle pats on the back or holding hands.

Up to now, Marinette somehow managed to control her emotions by thinking of Adrien as her playful, silly best friend and partner instead of her crush, but it was getting harder to keep a strong façade when he hugged and flirted with her. It took all the courage she had not to grab him and kiss him. Not now, though… Not until Hawkmoth was defeated.

And the memory of Chat Blanc’s crying face was her strongest incentive.


	8. Linger Till Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien reflects on the findings from the night before, and arrives at some conclusions of his own. In the morning, a surprise ends up very different from the way it was intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I apologize for the long time without an update. I pledged to finish this fic during this month as part of a NaNoWriMo challenge, so you should see some more chapters this month!
> 
> Special thanks to [wellsaltedlady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellsaltedlady) for the beta read!

When Adrien woke up at the break of dawn, it took a few seconds to find his bearings. After stretching lazily, the joy he drew from spending the evening with the Dupain-Chengs gave way to anxiety when he remembered _why_ he was there.

Oh, yes. Right. His Father was Hawkmoth. No big deal. They would just have to defeat him and…

“Mayura.”

Plagg opened one eye and mumbled some curses from Adrien’s pillow.

“Of course. If Gabriel is Hawkmoth, Nathalie must be—”

All these years, his so-called family terrorized Paris and the world, and for what? Why did Fa— no, why did _Gabriel_ want the Wish so desperately? Enough to risk the lives of all Parisians, including toddlers, children and _his own son_? What could drive him to such an extreme?

A flashback from the timeline Adrien never lived popped up in his brain. His mother, in a glass coffin. He stood up and paced the room.

“That’s it!” He muttered to himself. “He wants to resuscitate Mother.”

As he paced, he started to hear the early morning bustle coming from the bakery, and decided it was a good time to get ready for school.

“Wake up, Plagg. I have to talk to Ladybug.”

After a quick shower, Adrien got dressed and wandered into the family room. The scent of fresh coffee and bread warmed his heart and made his mouth water. He followed the scent to the kitchenette counter, where he found a note.

> _Good morning, kids. I need to help Tom through the morning rush. Help yourselves to breakfast. There’s fresh orange juice in the fridge. Sabine._

Adrien looked at his phone. 6:45. Maybe he could wake Marinette, so they could talk before school. He found a tray and prepared breakfast for the two of them. Making himself busy always helped when he was nervous, just like his mother.

Mother. He shook his head to dispel the memory of her, down there, alone in the dark, in a limbo between life and death, before focusing on the task at hand.

“Breakfast in bed for your _girlfriend_?” A little voice teased him from his shirt pocket.

“Shut up, Plagg. I told you, it’s not like _that_!”

“ _Yeah, yeah, blah, blah_. Keep telling yourself that.” Plagg settled on the cheese and cold cuts plate Adrien had carefully arranged. “This platter says otherwise. Especially the croissants making a heart shape!”

A red-faced Adrien gave the kwami an unconvincing angry look, while setting aside the idea of stealing a flower from the living room vase to add to the arrangement.

“Don’t forget something sweet for my Sugarcube!”

“Right,” Adrien replied, shooing Plagg away from the cheese. After finding some cookies, he made sure that everything was in the right place and looked at the attic door.

Maybe Marinette was wearing those adorable pyjamas she had on the other day, when they ran around Paris to escape the crowds. Or maybe a cute nightie— _Not now, stupid. She doesn’t like you that way!_ He shook his head to clear those thoughts and picked up the tray.

Carefully, Adrien climbed the stairs to the loft and knocked on the trapdoor. No answer.

“Plagg, can you please check if… ahem, if everything’s… well, er… decent.”

Pretending to adjust something on the tray, Adrien looked away, while the kwami phased into the room with a little snicker. For once the tiny god was helpful, as he opened the door with a sly grin.

“Shhh. She’s still sleeping,” whispered Tikki, who _also_ gave him a suggestive look.

Adrien nodded and entered the room, then set the breakfast on Marinette’s desk.

“Do you think she'll be mad if I wake her?” he whispered to Tikki.

“Certainly not,” she answered with a wink. “Not _mad_.”

He looked at his phone again. It was seven now. A good time to start getting ready for school, wasn’t it?

Then why was he so nervous? He was just going to wake his friend-partner-love-of-his-life. She _had_ told him to come get her if he needed anything, right?

“This feels a little stalker-ish,” he whispered to Tikki.

“Don’t worry sweetie, I’ve seen worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, never mind,” Tikki dismissed. “I’ll go wake her first, if you prefer.”

Adrien nodded and tiptoed up a few steps as silently as possible, stopping before Marinette was in his line of sight.

“Marinette. Marinette! Wake up!” he heard the little bug and smiled. So different from Plagg’s grumpiness.

“Mmmph.”

“Marinette, come on, your guest is here.”

Adrien let out a fake cough to make his presence known. He heard the rustle of the covers and what sounded like a whispered quarrel.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw Lady— _Marinette’s_ big blue eyes staring at him from the foot of the bed. In a second, she sprang back away from him with a small squeak.

Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he walked to the chaise-longue to give her some space.

_Adorable._

* * *

Marinette covered her head as the sunlight started to brighten her room. She chose to ignore the bustle and whispers downstairs.

“Marinette. Marinette! Wake up!” She shooed Tikki away.

“Mmmph.”

“Oh for the love of—” Tikki whispered, then louder, “Marinette, come on, your guest is here.”

“Guest?” she mumbled, only half awake. “What do you mean, guest? It’s too early. Five more minutes—”

She argued with Tikki in whispers, until a cough jolted her out of her drowsiness. She sprang up straight and crawled to the foot of her bed, where she saw a pair of green eyes staring at her.

A moment of confusion later, Marinette jumped back under the covers, unwittingly letting out a whine.

“Erm… I—” she heard a familiar, hesitant voice. “Ahem… so… I made us breakfast.”

“Right. You’re here. Right? No biggie,” Marinette rambled, looking for something to cover her skimpy pyjamas. “Just a friend sleeping with a friend— I-I mean—”

Tikki intervened, her little paw closing her lips. “She’ll be right down, Adrien.”

“Why did you let him in?” Marinette mouthed to her kwami.

“We thought you’d _like_ the surprise,” Plagg justified as he flew over to join Tikki, his only answer a murderous glare.

Finally, Marinette found an old hoodie and put it on, still sneering at the kwamis under her breath.

“I’ll get you _both_ for this!”

Marinette looked in her small mirror, patting her unruly hair down and dabbing at her face with a tissue while pepping herself up.

 _Right. You can do this. You’re a cool, confident superhero,_ she thought as she climbed down the narrow steps. _Just a friend serving breakfast in bed to another friend. Perfectly normal friendly—_

Marinette couldn’t even finish that thought, as one of her slippers got caught on the railing, causing her to plummet to the floor with a helpless shriek.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Adrien dash from the other side of the room, but her momentum was too great for his civilian strength, and instead of catching her, he fell on his back under her.

It took some seconds for Marinette to react. The floor wasn’t hard, it was— Adrien? Her face was tinged with an absurd shade of red as she rambled some incoherent excuse and tried to get up from that awkward position.

She stopped moving when she felt Adrien’s deep sigh against her chest, and his arms tightening around her, one of his hands cradling her head protectively.

“Sorry, Milady,” he said as he let her go. “I wasn’t quick enough.”

“No, it’s—”

“Are you okay?” Adrien asked as she lifted her head to look at him and nod. “Thank goodness,” he breathed as he held her tight.

Marinette was puzzled. It was just a fall from the stairs — she’d had much worse even if you didn’t count her battles as Ladybug.

She heard a tiny sniffle and felt another sigh. Right. Better get up and off of him. Marinette scrambled to her feet, but Adrien didn’t follow. He was still laying down on the ground, covering his eyes with his forearm.

“Are you okay, Adrien?”

“Sorry. I panicked. It’s just…” he sat up and confessed, quietly. “You’re all I have left, Ladybug!”

Shocked into action, Marinette set aside her inhibitions and mustered a small smile, offering her hand to help him up.

“Come on, Kitty, I believe someone made breakfast for us.”

Adrien still averted his eyes as he got up on his feet with a cat-like motion.

“Look at me, Kitty.” Somehow it helped her to think she was talking to her partner, as opposed to her loved one. “We’ll be alright. I’ll always be here for you, superhero or not.”

Still holding his hand, she led him to her desk.

“Thank you for this, Kitty. It looks amazing!”

They ate in a comfortable silence, interrupted only by the kwami’s banter. Marinette tried to say something to lighten the mood.

“You two sound like an old married couple,” she elbowed Adrien with a giggle. “Don’t they?”

“I—I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, kid,” Plagg said as he patted Adrien’s cheek. “Don’t you have something to tell Ladybug?”

Adrien shared his suspicions, and looked a bit more animated as he talked.

“Nathalie is Mayura?” Marinette said, tapping her chin. “So they are usually in the same vicinity, right?”

“Right.” His expression turned from sad to determined. “And I think I may have a way for us to catch them both when they least expect it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Your comments and kudos mean the world to me, even if it's just a ❤️ or a 👍.  
> I reply to all comments, but it may take some time... 
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.  
> English is not my first language and I tend to use UK English. If you catch any inconsistencies please let me know.


	9. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even more determined to end Hawkmoth's reign of terror, Marinette and Adrien plan the ultimate surprise attack. But when Adrien admits to a very indiscrete _faux-pas_ , blushes and awkwardness ensue...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!   
> I have to once again apologise for the delayed and short update.   
> It's 3:30 AM and this has not been beta read… I hope you like it, anyway.

Marinette and Adrien spent the time remaining before school discussing the best way to defeat Hawkmoth and Mayura. Armed with the villains’ identities and Adrien’s insight into their life, they started to outline a plan to defeat their enemies, once and for all.

However, the thing Marinette was worried about the most was Adrien’s safety — physical and emotional. If his refusal to go home the day before was alarming, the way he’d choked up earlier only made her more concerned. Hearing him say that he had nobody left but her disturbed her more than she dared to show. He wasn’t the object of her teenage obsession any more — he was her responsibility.

“I don’t know, Adrien… are you sure you want to go home later?”

“The only thing I fear now is that I can’t hide my disgust,” he reassured her with the hint of a Chat Noir grin. “They wouldn’t dare to do anything while I’m there. Even if he ever suspected me, remember he saw me _and_ Chat Noir in the same place.”

“Yeah, it was all over the news…” She managed a bemused tone even as the memory of Adrien falling off a skyscraper sent shivers down her spine. “One of these days you’re gonna tell me how you pulled that off. We may need it sometime.”

“I’ll tell _you_ if you tell _me_ , okay, _Multimouse?_ ”

Marinette was a strong person, able to cope with villains, fights, secret identities, even being responsible for an assortment of mystical accessories — but she wasn’t so sure she could survive Adrien acting as flirty as Chat Noir. She forced an even tone of voice and even a timid giggle as she replied.

“O-okay, we’ll discuss this another day. Right now I want to get to school on time for once.”

* * *

If it was getting harder for Adrien to leave Marinette’s side since their unmasking, today it was nothing short of painful. She walked him to the car, discreetly holding his hand as she encouraged him.

“We’ll be alright, Kitty,” she whispered. “It will be over soon.”

“I know.”

“All you have to do is to avoid _him_ and _her_ as much as you can.”

“It’s not like he’ll miss me,” he chuckled sarcastically. “I can’t see him without an appointment. And Nathalie’s so cold-hearted, I doubt she’ll even notice any change.”

“Just… promise you’ll be careful, okay?”

The way she looked up at him, at once outraged, concerned and resolute, but still softened by affection _(love?)_ , made his heart melt.

“Don’t worry, super-Marinette,” he said as he opened the car door. “I have the world’s most amazing superhero on speed-dial.”

Later, as he slipped into his bed, he thought he saw someone swinging past his window.

_(We’ll be alright, Kitty)_

The memory of those words and that look lulled him into a feeling of security and optimism as he drifted off to sleep.

_We’ll be alright._

* * *

Two weeks went by as they perfected their plan.

Adrien spent most of his free time at Marinette’s, under the pretext of tutoring her in Physics.

They decided the attack would happen during the Agreste Foundation’s Fundraising Gala which was in about ten days. It would be a good occasion to catch Gabriel and Nathalie by surprise.

Still, Ladybug and Chat Noir needed some serious backup — superheroes and some hand-picked civilians. Marinette wanted to choose new heroes, but Adrien disagreed.

“We don’t have time to train them. It’s better to get Alya and Nino, and…” lowering his voice, he added, “and Luka.”

“I don’t think so,” Marinette shook her head. “Not after Miracle Queen outed them.”

“Yes, but that won’t matter anyway. They’ll just be there for backup,” he reassured her. “If our plan works we don’t have to worry about Hawkmoth any more.” Marinette was still doubtful. “Besides, everyone was hypnotised. Nobody else saw them but us and _those two_.”

“Still…”

“Think about it. It wasn’t on the news or the Ladyblog or anywhere, not even on security footage!”

Oh. Right. Marinette had been so overwhelmed with her new responsibilities _plus_ losing her mentor and friend, it never crossed her mind to look for evidence of their allies’ reveal.

“You’re right. But how?”

“Ahem…” a little voice interrupted from Marinette’s purse. “I can explain that.”

Tikki explained how she had started to create magical distortions in security cameras around every battle, mainly to protect the heroes’ identities.

“You two take too many risks, transforming in random alleys and rooftops all around town,” she scolded. “You don’t even bother to look around for cameras. I mean, you transformed behind a garden bench once!”

“I could easily destroy all the cameras, but little miss goody-two-shoes here didn’t let me,” Plagg added peeking out from the purse, pink crumbs still clinging to his whiskers. “It’s pretty much the same kind of magic that prevents us from appearing in photos.”

“Huh,” Marinette huffed. It hurt a bit to be scolded by Tikki, but she had a point. “We’ll discuss this later.”

“So. Back to the plan. I’ve talked to Wayhem, he’s up for it.”

“I haven’t asked Mireille yet,” Marinette replied. “I don’t know what to say! What excuse did you give him?”

“Oh… About that,” Adrien replied, looking down as he nervously fidgeted with his ring. “I-I told him we wanted to spend some time alone together.”

“Come again?”

“He started asking questions! You know Wayhem. He can be so insistent—”

“So you told him we were sneaking out to—” Marinette hid her face in her hands. “Oh my God! What will they _think_?”

“No, no— I… sorta told him we were dating.”

“What do you mean, _we’re dating?_ ”

“No— I mean…” Adrien tried to argue. “He said it first, he was all like, _Ooh, I knew you were a couple now!_ , and talking about how I’m always at your place…”

“There're rumours going around the class, too.”

“I know. Nino’s been giving me weird looks and nudges. I’m sorry. We’ll pretend to break up when all this is over, if it bothers you that much.”

“N-no, it doesn’t, like, _bother_ me…” the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. Marinette took a deep breath, before admitting, “you’re right. We can pretend for a few days, that way you have an excuse to take me to the Gala… but…”

“But?”

Marinette looked down as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

“Promise you’ll speak to Kagami first.”

“Kag— what about? You need Ryuko?”

“No, it’s just— I don’t want to hurt her, Adrien. She’s a great friend, and she loves you so much!”

“Hurt— No. No! Kagami and I… aren’t a thing.”

Marinette did her best to stifle a gasp as Adrien continued.

“Gabriel and her mom really encouraged us. We… went out a few times… kissed a little.” Adrien let out a bittersweet chuckle and looked out the window. “It just… wasn’t working. My heart wasn’t in it.”

“Oh.” She pretended to be busy with something else, but couldn’t forget that line. His heart wasn’t in it. Maybe it was still somewhere else.

There was hardly any more planning that day. Awkward blushes, hesitations and stutters made it impossible to maintain a proper conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how this turned into a fake-dating thing, but here we are... 
> 
> I hope to update some time in the next month, but I can't promise anything.  
> On top of all the chaos of a Holiday season with Covid-19 restrictions, birthdays, house stuff and work, I'm going through some health issues, with lots of appointments and tying up of loose ends before an unexpected surgery.   
> I don't know how long I'll be out of commission, so I will leave you all with this short chapter which was almost ready to post a few weeks ago. 
> 
> Please keep commenting, Kudos'ing and sharing, it means the world to me!! ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.  
> English is not my first language and I tend to use UK English. If you catch any inconsistencies please let me know.
> 
> [My Tumblr.](https://maggies-scribblings.tumblr.com)


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